Northfield, OH – Forty years of history. A quarter of a million dollars. A field overflowing with champions.
On Saturday night (June 6), Northfield Park Racino will host the 40th edition of the Battle of Lake Erie (Grade 2), and for the first time in the race’s storied history, the purse will stand at a record $250,000. The milestone renewal has attracted one of the deepest and most accomplished fields ever assembled for Northeast Ohio’s signature pacing event.
The nine-horse field has combined for more than $11.4 million in career earnings with 211 victories, featuring some of the sport’s biggest stars from the Grand Circuit, state-bred programs, and the sport’s premier pacing series.
Installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite by Northfield Park Director of Racing Dave Bianconi is Captain Albano, whose résumé already includes victories in the 2024 Little Brown Jug and Adios (both Grade 1) and the 2026 Borgata Pacing Series (G2). The star pacer enters Saturday’s contest looking to add another major title to an already impressive collection.
Joining him is another Borgata champion, Mossdale Ben N, setting up a highly anticipated showdown between the winners of the last two editions of one of harness racing’s most demanding series.
Women Layer enters the Battle in the midst of a remarkable two-year run that has established him among the sport’s most consistent performers. A standout on the Kentucky Sires Stakes circuit, the talented pacer has won 17 of his last 23 starts while hitting the board in 22 of those appearances.
The local contingent is led by Helium N, who has turned Northfield Park into his personal playground in 2026. He has captured seven Open Pace victories over the Flying Turns this season and will look to defend home turf against some of the toughest competition he has faced all year.
Prince Hal Hanover brings championship credentials of his own into the Battle. The talented pacer captured both the Adios and Northfield Park’s Carl Milstein Memorial (G2) in 2025 and continues to establish himself among the sport’s elite older pacers.
Defending champion Ken Hanover returns seeking a place in Battle of Lake Erie history. No horse has won consecutive editions of the race since Peruvian Hanover captured back-to-back renewals in 2002 and 2003. A victory on Saturday would make Ken Hanover the first horse in more than two decades to successfully defend the crown.
For Once Inmy Life is another seasoned veteran who brings plenty of credentials into the Battle. The hard-hitting pacer captured multiple preliminary legs of the 2025 Borgata Pacing Series before adding several Open Pace victories at Plainridge during the 2026 campaign and most recently a third-place finish in the Joe Auger Memorial (G3) behind winner Ken Hanover and Mossdale Ben N.
Another Little Brown Jug winner lurks in the field in the form of Bythemissal (2022). One of the most accomplished horses in training, Bythemissal owns a remarkable list of major victories including the 2022 Carl Milstein Memorial, the 2022 Ohio Sires Stakes Championship, the 2023 Myron Charna President’s Pace, the 2023 Breeders Crown Open Pace final and the 2025 Joe Auger Memorial.
Rounding out the star-studded lineup is Huntinthelastdolar, whose career highlights include a 2023 New York Sire Stakes championship and the 2024 Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup. He also established himself as a major force in this year’s Borgata Pacing Series, winning multiple preliminary legs before finishing runner-up in the final.
The horsepower is only part of the story. The drivers competing in this year’s Battle of Lake Erie have a combined 11 victories in the race, adding another layer of prestige to an already loaded renewal. Among them are two of the event’s most successful reinsmen, Matt Kakaley and Brett Miller, who will drive Prince Hal Hanover and Ken Hanover, respectively. Both enter Saturday night seeking a record-setting fifth Battle of Lake Erie triumph, a feat that would strengthen their legacy and place them atop the race’s distinguished list of driving greats.
The depth of this year’s field is difficult to overstate. Among the starters are a Breeders Crown champion, multiple Sire Stakes champions, a Kentucky Sires Stakes standout, the winners of the last two Borgata Pacing Series finals, the top two finishers from the 2026 Borgata championship, two Little Brown Jug winners, and the defending Battle of Lake Erie champion.
Every horse brings a championship-caliber résumé. Every driver brings big-race experience. With a record purse on the line and a field packed with proven stars, the 40th Battle of Lake Erie has all the ingredients to produce one of the most memorable editions in the race’s rich history.
Northfield Park will kick off the 16-race card at 6 p.m. (EDT) and will also feature Charity Night presented by the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association. Nine different charities will be featured, each having the opportunity to win up to $10,000.
Here’s the Battle of Lake Erie field with morning-line odds:
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line
1. Women Layer – Luke Hanners – Virgil Morgan Jr. – 6-1
2. Mossdale Ben N – Jim Marohn Jr. – Peter Tritton – 4-1
3. Captain Albano – Todd McCarthy – Noel Daley – 3-1
4. Helium N – Dan Noble – Christi Noble – 12-1
5. Prince Hal Hanover – Matt Kakaley – Dr. Ian Moore – 9-2
6. Ken Hanover – Brett Miller – Roland Mallar – 7-2
7. For Once Inmy Life – Jordan Stratton – Cory Stratton – 15-1
8. Bythemissal – Chris Page – Ron Burke – 20-1
9. Huntinthelastdolar – Tyler Smith – Per Engblom – 10-1
Note: Huntinthelastdolar starts from the second tier.